Andytown Coffee Roasters: A tribute

Sunday, January 24, 2016

If you are searching for me on basically any given morning, you can most likely find me at Andytown Coffee Roasters, the light of the Sunset district in San Francisco and the light of my life. Andytown is actually short for “Andersontown,” a quaint town in Ireland that perfectly reflecting the quaintness of this corner spot. A single communal seating space with one shared wooden tabletop welcomes you to the counter, where you place your order with one of the amazing baristas you will find here. The atmosphere adapts to its environment and is cozy and compact on a rainy, overcast day in the Sunset, while staying open and airy with large corner windows when the sun is out.

Sitting on the countertop under large, bell shaped jars are an assortment of house made muffins, scones, and cookies. My favorites include their classic soda currant scone or berry corn-muffins with some sort of delectable jam inside. However, their staple item that has been written about in a plethora of newspapers is the soda bread. It can be topped with cheddar and bacon or served with butter and jam. Be sure to keep an eye out for their seasonal pastries like pumpkin, or strawberry and chocolate scones.

In terms of coffee, they roast their own delectable beans at the back of their humble coffee abode. The owners embarked on an adventure to South America where they refined their coffee bean choices just to prove their dedication to their cause. The menu consists of drip coffee as well as espresso drinks. I can personally attest to the perfection of their espresso drinks and while I’m not much of a drip coffee drinker, I’ve heard only great things. They also offer a selection of teas as well as hot chocolate. You can opt for regular whole milk, nonfat milk, or almond milk as a dairy free option. Their specialty drink is a Snowy Plover, which consists of espresso in sparkling water—iced—topped with their homemade whip cream, which tastes vaguely and lusciously of butter. My “usual” order is a sweet almond milk cappuccino or latte. Tip: add “sweet” to your drink order and the barista will add homemade brown sugar simple syrup to your beverage, hot or cold.

featuring my lovely coffee date, Remi

As I’m writing this, I am back in New York–thousands of miles from Andytown Coffee Roasters, my favorite coffee shop—well, ever. I’ve been sporting my Andytown beanie (available for purchase here) to keep me warm on these cold New York days and keep Andytown close to the heart. Andytown is like home and where I watched some of my best friendships grow at 8am when we prioritized coffee over sleep before our classes and where we crammed for finals. Now, it’s where we catch up on months of our lives after being separated by state lines. I was there five times in a row just a few weeks ago, and I wish I could go another five times this week. Miss you, already A-Town.